10 killed while unloading detonators at Andhra Pradesh quarry
HYDERABAD : Ten people were killed in an explosion while unloading detonators from a vehicle at a limestone quarry in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district on Saturday morning, police said. Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered an inquiry into the incident. The incident happened at the Tirumalakonda hillocks on the outskirts of Mamillapalli village of Kalasapadu block at around 10 am, Kadapa superintendent of police KKN Anburajan said. “The explosion occurred when the workers were unloading bundles of detonators from a vehicle for using them for limestone mining.” The driver of the vehicle was also killed in the incident, the official said.
HYDERABAD: Ten labourers were killed in a massive explosion while unloading detonators from a vehicle at a limestone quarry in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district on Saturday morning, police said. The incident happened at Tirumalakonda hillocks on the outskirts of Mamillapalli village of Kalasapadu block at around 10am.
“The explosion occurred when the workers were unloading bundles of detonators from a vehicle for using them for limestone mining,” Kadapa superintendent of police KKN Anburajan told HT. Police said the driver of the vehicle was among the 10 who died in the explosion.
The explosion was so intense that the bodies were damaged beyond recognition. “With great difficulty, we could identify the victims based on their body parts,” the SP, who visited the spot in the afternoon, said.
Police have identified the deceased as Prasad (35) from Gangayapalle village, Subba Reddy (40) from Gondipalli, Bala Gangulu (35), Venkata Ramana (25) and Lakshmi Reddy (60) from E Kothapalli, Venkateshu (25) from Bakannagaripalle, Eshwaraiah (45) from Bechaiagaripalle, Gangi Reddy (50) from Ramgoripalle, Abdul (30), the driver of the vehicle, from Badwel and Korivi Prasad (40).
Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the death of labourers in the explosion.
While he is yet to announce any compensation, the CM has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Porumamilla police inspector K Mohan Reddy said all nine labourers who were unloading the explosives and the driver of the vehicle died on the spot, adding no one was injured in the explosion. “There were two other labourers standing at a distance and they managed to escape unhurt,” Reddy told HT.
A revenue official in Kalasapadu said the explosion was so intense that it created tremors in adjacent villages, leading to panic among the people.
“As per the preliminary investigation..., the quarry owner has the licence to procure and use detonators for quarrying limestone in the area. Yet, complete details would be known only after investigation,” the SP said.
Meanwhile, Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu also expressed deep shock and grief over the death of labourers.